Please Don't Stop The Music
by enchanteelittledarling
Summary: A Pitch Perfect!Faberry AU. What happens when McKinley University freshman Quinn Fabray is roped into joining the all girls acapella group, The Troubletones, by her new roommate?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Quinn Fabray drummed her fingers on the keyboard impatiently as she watched the file download to her laptop.

"Come on, hurry up…" she muttered to herself.

Finally, the little bar on the screen reached the end. Quinn quickly typed in the file name, _Mashup7x3.0_ then saved it to her "Quinn's Mixes" folder. She breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her laptop, before carefully packing it away. She wasn't going to see it again until she got to Ohio.

Against her will, Quinn was being shipped off to McKinley University in Lima, Ohio for a year. She didn't want to go to Ohio. No, Quinn planned on going straight to L.A. and giving her mixes to radio stations and record labels. She would be widely known in the music industry as one of the best DJs around.

_DJ Fabray._

Quinn smiled.

She liked the sound of that. But her father insisted that she had to give the whole university experience a try for a year first.

"Try and get involved in some clubs, school activities, you know, that kind of thing," her father had said.

If, by the end of that year she still wanted to go down to L.A. and pursue her music-mixing ambitions, then her dad would let her.

Quinn sighed, brushing a stray piece of choppy blonde hair from her face as she began packing the rest of her things. The cab that would take her to McKinley was going to come any minute now, and Quinn didn't want to leave anything important behind. She scanned her room, knowing it would be the last time she'd see it until spring break.

She slipped her headphones around her neck before proceeding to haul her suitcase downstairs. Quinn looked outside the window, and saw that the taxi had already arrived. She was going to miss this place. With a sigh, Quinn walked out the door of the house she'd known all her life and into the uncertainty of an Ohio-bound cab.

She slid into the passenger seat. Putting her headphones on, she scrolled through the playlists on her iPod until she found the one she wanted, then pressed play. Immediately, the sounds of Florence + The Machine flooded through her headphones. Quinn leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes. She let the music fill every part of her, blocking out her apprehensions of Ohio, of McKinley.

After an hour or so, the cab finally pulled up to the McKinley campus. Quinn paid the driver and unloaded her things from the trunk. Pulling her suitcase behind her, she took a deep breath. Everywhere she looked, she saw McKinley students, both new and old, bustling about. Quinn wondered what it would be like here. Suddenly, a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Hi! Welcome to McKinley University!"

Quinn turned around to see an eager- looking girl standing in front of her. She was holding something out for Quinn to take.

"Here's your official McKinley rape whistle! Remember, don't blow it unless it's actually happening!"

Quinn eyed the whistle disdainfully. She took it from the girl and put it in her mouth, contemplating blowing it just to annoy her.

"You'll find your dorm that way, and once you get settled in, be sure to check out the activities fair! It's happening on the main campus, and…"

"Yeah, ok. Thanks." Quinn said, cutting her off.

She trudged off to find her dorm, with no intent of participating in this "activities fair". Or any other school activity, for that matter. Quinn was a loner, she always had been. She looked down at her map, making sure she was heading in the right direction. It didn't take her long to find the building the dorms were located in. She walked down the hallway, wondering what her McKinley home would be like. What her roommate would be like.

As she continued to walk, Quinn swore she heard someone singing. She recognized the song, so she began humming along. The singing grew louder, until Quinn was directly in front of the door it was coming from.

_Whoever it is has a nice voice, she thought to herself._

Looking at the number on the door, Quinn realized that the mystery singer must be her new roommate. Hesitantly, Quinn knocked on the door.

"Hello?" she called out.

A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a small brunette girl, wearing a checkered pink dress with her long hair in loose waves.

"You must be my new roommate!" she said, beaming at Quinn.

"Yup, looks like," Quinn said. "Hi."

She gave an awkward wave.

"My name's Rachel Barbra Berry, and I am simply ecstatic to meet you! What's your name, by the way?"

The girl - Rachel - flashed a broad smile at Quinn.

"Oh, ummm, I'm Quinn."

Rachel held out her hand.

"Well, Quinn…I can't wait to room with you this year!"

"I, uh, I liked your singing."

"Why, thank you! That song's one of my favorites!"

"Mine too," Quinn blurted out.

"Oh! You know what the best club here is?"

Quinn shook her head.

"The Troubletones, of course! Come on, I'll show you what I'm talking about."

Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand. Before the blonde could protest, Rachel began leading her outside.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked.

"You'll see!" Rachel grinned.

Sure enough, Rachel towed Quinn through the activities fair until she arrived at their destination.

It was a booth, seemingly set up for the purposes of recruitment. A large banner advertising the name of the group, The Troubletones, hung above. In front of the booth stood an auburn-haired girl with a clipboard held closely to her chest. As people passed by her, she waved a flyer in their face.

"Hi! Do you want to join the Troubletones?" she asked.

No one stopped, they just continued walking by.

"Sugar!" Rachel shouted.

The girl with the clipboard turned around.

"Oh, hey Rachel! And hi…"

She gestured to Quinn.

"This is my friend, Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Hi, Quinn! I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new at McKinley?"

"Yeah, I'm a freshman."

"Do you want to join the Troubletones?"

The girl thrust a flyer in front of Quinn.

"Huh?"

The brunette's face lit up like a Christmas tree as she launched into an explanation.

"I'm the captain of the Troubletones and Sugar here is my co-captain. We're an all-girl acapella group and we desperately need some new members if we want to make it to Nationals again this year! And we're so much better than the Warblers."

Rachel pointed to the group stationed across from them, who appeared to be in mid-song.

"The Warblers are basically the male version of the Troubletones. Except they're not as good as us. That's why we're gonna win that Nationals title this year and they aren't!"

One of the Warblers winked at Quinn.

Quinn smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Do you sing, Quinn?"

"Huh?"

Rachel looked straight at the girl in question, hoping she would say yes.

Quinn felt her face grow hot.

"No, I - I'm not a singer. Good luck recruiting people, though."

"Come on, Quinn!" she pleaded.

"Sorry, but I don't sing!"

Quinn turned and walked away from the Troubletones. Rachel turned to Sugar, disappointed.

"I knew she wouldn't join!" Sugar said.

"And what made you say that?"

"Rachel, come on. She doesn't look like an acapella kind of girl at all! I mean, did you see those tattoos?"

"Maybe you're right," Rachel said.

_Or maybe we could use a change and Quinn is just what we need,_ she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Quinn wanted to get back to her dorm as soon as possible. On the cab ride, she'd come up with some more ideas for mashups, and couldn't wait to start working on them.

There was no way she was going to join some acapella group! She didn't have time for that. Rachel and Sugar would just have to find new recruits elsewhere


	2. Chapter 2

A week later, Quinn woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. She groaned. Stumbling out of bed, she threw on a bathrobe before heading down to the showers. In the short time she'd been at McKinley, Quinn had learned that it was best to take a shower early in the morning. Otherwise, she'd have no chance of getting one until much, much later.

Seeing that no one was around, Quinn turned on the tap and started singing to herself.

"I wish I could tie you up in my shoes, make you feel unpretty too, I was told I was beautiful, but what does that mean to you?"

She took off her bathrobe, hanging it on the hook outside of the showers.

"Look into the mirror, who's inside there, the one with the long hair, same old me again today," Quinn sang.

She stepped inside the shower, still singing.

"My outsides are cool, my insides are blue, every time I think I'm through, it's because of you. I've tried different ways, but it's all the same, at the end of the day I have myself to blame, I'm just trippin'…"

Quinn was so lost in the song that she didn't notice someone pushing the shower curtain back.

"You can sing!"

Quinn jumped at the voice. She whirled around to see none other than Rachel Berry standing in front of her. A very naked Rachel Berry.

"Rachel! W-what are you doing here?" Quinn sputtered.

Rachel's gaze was fixated on Quinn.

Oh crap, I'm still naked, Quinn remembered. She hastily reached for her bathrobe, wrapping it around herself.

"I love that song!" Rachel exclaimed.

"You know TLC?" Quinn asked, surprised.

"Of course! That song's my jam."

Rachel stepped closer to Quinn, making the blonde shift uncomfortably.

"My lady jam," Rachel whispered suggestively, leaning closer to Quinn.

"I can't concentrate with you like - like this!"

"You want me to leave?" asked Rachel.

Quinn nodded, finding it hard to look away from the petite brunette.

"Then sing for me!"

Quinn's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Come on, sing for me, Quinn! I heard you a few minutes ago and you sounded amazing."

Quinn stood with her arms crossed, not wanting to give in. She closed her eyes, hoping that Rachel would get out of the shower. When she opened them, Rachel was still standing in front of her.

Quinn sighed, then began singing the chorus of "Unpretty".

"You can buy your hair if it won't grow," she sang.

" You can fix your nose if he says so," Rachel joined in, harmonizing with Quinn.

"You can buy all the makeup that MAC can make, but if you can't look inside you, find out who am I to, be in a position to make me feel so, damn unpretty!"

The two girls looked at each other as they finished singing.

"Wow," Quinn breathed. "We sounded good."

Rachel beamed.

"Yes, that was fantastic! You have a great voice, Quinn. Not as strong as mine, but we could definitely use another alto. Troubletones auditions are this afternoon at 3, I expect to see you there!"

Quinn stifled a groan. It figured Rachel would once again try and rope her into joining the Troubletones. Her roommate flashed her a smile, before grabbing a towel and leaving. Once Rachel was out of sight, Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.

Not only was she glad to be alone again, but there was something about seeing Rachel naked that made her feel…weird. Quinn didn't know why, exactly. She couldn't deny the fact that Rachel was beautiful.

_Beautiful and talented,_ she thought wistfully.

_Snap out of it, Quinn! she told herself. Rachel's a girl, she's your roommate and your kind-of friend. Not to mention, you're straight!_

Quinn shook her head as she headed back to her room, attempting to block out the mental image of Rachel in the shower. Fortunately for her, Rachel wasn't there yet. She wasn't ready to see the brunette right now, not after the whole shower incident.

Quinn looked at the clock. 10:30, it read. She should be heading to her first class of the day right now, Psychology 101. Instead, Quinn flopped onto her bed and grabbed her headphones. She turned the music up as loud as it could go, wanting to clear her mind from the morning's events. Before she knew it, Quinn had fallen asleep.

When she woke from her nap, Quinn checked the time on her phone. Shoot. She was going to be late for her Troubletones audition! Which she figured she might as well show up to, just to get Rachel off her back. She'd audition for the Troubletones.

_But that doesn't mean I'll get in, she reasoned._ Quinn walked over to her closet. She pulled out the first clothes she saw, which happened to be a pair of dark skinny jeans and a striped tanktop. She shoved her feet into her favorite combat boots, then headed outside.

Meanwhile, at the auditions, Rachel and Sugar weren't having much luck. The captain and co-captain of the Troubletones found themselves cringing at the awfulness of the singers, who had been asked to sing "Somebody That I Used To Know". They were off-key, off-beat…and none of them had even close to perfect pitch!

Sugar turned to Rachel.

"This is a disaster!" she whispered furiously.

Rachel nodded her head.

"Well, there goes our last shot at Nationals."

She had secretly been hoping that Quinn would show up. Even though Sugar had gone on and on about how Quinn "is not Troubletones material at all!", Rachel couldn't shake the feeling that Quinn could actually be a valuable part of their group. But auditions were over, and Quinn wasn't there.

Rachel sighed, disappointed. Just as Sugar stood up, Rachel noticed someone walk in. As the figure made their way into the spotlight, Rachel saw that it was Quinn! She had come after all!

The brunette motioned for Sugar to sit back down.  
Rachel made eye contact with Quinn for a brief moment, causing the blonde to look away.

"I, uh, I didn't know we had to prepare that song," Quinn stammered.

"It's okay!" exclaimed Rachel. "Just sing anything. Any song that pops into your head."

Quinn contemplated this for a moment, running through a mental list of songs she liked to sing. Finally, she decided on the perfect one.

She reached across the table that Rachel and Sugar were sitting behind, and picked up a red plastic cup filled with pens and pencils.

"Can I…?" she asked.

Rachel gave a quick nod, interested to see what her roommate was going to do.

Quinn grabbed the cup and turned it upside down, allowing its' contents to spill out onto the stage.

She set it down and began to play a beat on it. After repeating the rhythm, Quinn started to sing.

"I've got my ticket for the long way round, two bottle of whiskey for the way, and I sure would like some sweet company, and I'm leavin' tomorrow, whadd'ya say?"

Rachel leaned forward, entranced by the performance. Quinn's audition was good. No, it was better than good.

"When I'm gone, when I'm gone, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone," Quinn sang. "You're gonna miss me by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

She slammed the cup down on the last beat of the song, giving a small smile.

The second the song came to an end, Rachel stood up and applauded.

"That was…wow, I've never seen anything like that before!"

"So am I in the Troubletones?" Quinn asked.

"We'll be in touch," Sugar said. As Quinn started to walk offstage, she glanced at Rachel, who was smiling directly at her.

"Or not," Sugar added, as soon as Quinn was out of earshot.

Rachel gave Sugar a sharp nudge.

"What was that for?" she demanded.

"Look, I don't know what you have against Quinn, but you have to admit that her audition was the best one we got. I, for one, think that she would make a great addition to the Troubletones."

Sugar crossed her arms.

"I'm the captain, remember! Which means that I get the final say. And I say we accept Quinn."

Sugar made a face, then took a moment before scribbling something down on her clipboard.

"Here's who I think we should take."

She held the list of names up for Rachel to see.

The brunette nodded emphatically as she read it over.

"Now," she said with a mischievous grin, "it's time to go kidnap our newest Troubletones so we can initiate them!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"We are gathered here tonight to officially induct our newest members into the Troubletones!"

The room was dark, lit only by candlelight. Eight girls sat in their chairs, with paper bags over their heads.

"The sopranos," Rachel said. "Tina, Harmony, Mercedes, and Kitty." "And the altos, Santana, Brittany, Quinn, and Marley."

She walked down the row of chairs, pulling the bag off of each girl's head as she said their name. Quinn looked around, stunned that she had actually been accepted into the Troubletones.

Sugar handed a short red and white scarf to each girl.

"Now, hold your scarf up with your right hand as we recite the sacred Troubletones oath."

"I, sing your name,"

The girls repeated Sugar's words, with each of them singing their name.

"Promise to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a McKinley Troubletone." Sugar said.

"Promise to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a McKinley Troubletone," the girls dutifully repeated.

"And I solemnly promise to never have sexual relationships with a Warbler, or else my vocal chords will be ripped out by wolves." Sugar continued.

Quinn's eyes widened at this. The girls glanced at one another, before slowly repeating the last part of the pledge back to Sugar.

"Congratulations, you are all Troubletones now. Now we will drink from the blood of the sisters who come before you."

Sugar held up a cup filled with red liquid. Noting Quinn's concerned face, Rachel walked over to her.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "It's just spiked punch."

Quinn gave a small smile.

She poured herself a cup, then followed the rest of the newly minted Troubletones outside, where the Warblers were already partying.

Their initiation night must have happened at the same time, Quinn figured. They were singing along with whatever top 40 pop song was playing, waving their drink cups in the air. Quinn was casually taking a sip from her cup when all of a sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped her cup on the ground, surprised.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or are you a Troubletone!"

She looked up to see a Warbler standing in front of her. He was taller than Quinn, and appeared to be the very definition of a "bad boy". He sported a Mohawk, with a dark cutoff t-shirt, jeans, and some beat-up looking shoes.

"I never pegged you as the acapella type!" he said, clearly surprised.

"Yeah, well neither did I," Quinn said with a smirk.

"I'm Puck, by the way."

Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Puck? Is that what your parents called you?"

The guy - Puck - laughed.

"Actually," he said, walking closer to Quinn, "my real name is Noah. Noah Puckerman, that's where the "Puck" comes from. But don't tell anyone."

He winked at Quinn, then leaned in to kiss her.

As Puck's lips neared hers, Quinn spotted Rachel out of the corner of her eye. Upon seeing the brunette, she pushed Puck away.

"Ouch, shot down." he said, feigning a hurt expression.

"You're drunk," Quinn laughed.

"No, I'm not!"

"Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Quinn held up four fingers.

"Ummm…six?" Puck slurred.

Quinn shot him a look.

"You are so drunk, Puckerman."

"Come on, you know you want a piece of this!"

"Sorry, not interested."

"Wow, that's a first," Puck said. he headed over to go talk to some more Troubletones.

_Probably trying to score a date with at least one of them, Quinn thought. Typical._

The boys she'd known back home seemed to fall into the category of complete nerds or hopeless womanizers, which is why she'd never been in a serious relationship. That's not to say Quinn hadn't had a few flings; however, the longest one lasted five months and it was with a guy who worked at the local record store. She hardly remembered his name.

By now, Rachel had made her way over to where Quinn was standing. She leaned in closer to her.

"I think," she whispered in Quinn's ear, "we're going to be fast friends."

Quinn jumped.

She hadn't noticed Rachel standing behind her. Her heart raced. Why was it that every time she ended up alone with Rachel, she felt this way? First the shower incident, now this!

Quinn stood, frozen in place as Rachel put her arms around her, managing to not spill the plastic drink cup she was holding.

_Say something, Quinn!_

"Well you saw me naked, so…" Quinn winked at the petite brunette.

_Crap. Totally not what I meant to say._

Much to Quinn's relief, Rachel's phone vibrated right then. She gently broke away from the embrace.

Rachel frowned as she looked at her phone screen.

"Darn, it's Sugar. She says she needs to talk to me. I've gotta go."

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Rachel turned to address Quinn.

"You know, the Warblers are hot. If you're into that sort of thing, I mean. But personally, I think that the Troubletones are where it's at. They're way hotter…especially this year."

Rachel gave Quinn's shoulder a light nudge. Then she danced away to the beat of the music as she went to find Sugar, who was, at the moment, glaring at a Troubletone who was making out with a Warbler.

Meanwhile, Quinn was feeling lightheaded. Whether it was from the little alcohol she'd had or the way Rachel blatantly intruded upon her personal space she wasn't sure.

Quinn figured that the best way to deal with this was to go back to her dorm and away from this crazy initiation party. She had never liked parties much anyway.

Once she reached her dorm room, Quinn lay down on her bed.

_Thank god that's over,_ she thought. _I wonder what Rachel had to talk to Sugar about? Wait, why am I thinking of Rachel again?_

Suddenly, Rachel's words played back in Quinn's head.

"You know, the Warblers are hot. If you're into that sort of thing, I mean. But personally, I think that the Troubletones are where it's at. They're way hotter…especially this year."

Quinn remembered the moment clearly.

Rachel's flirtatious smile. The smell of Rachel's perfume. The way she felt when Rachel put her arms around her. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about Rachel.

The way Rachel had acted towards her. The things Rachel said…the way being alone with Rachel made her feel…

Quinn gasped. She sat up with a jolt, as a sudden realization dawned upon her.

_Holy crap. I think Rachel might like girls. And I - I think I might like her._


End file.
